Scarred Heart
by DisneyDancer997
Summary: Kim's mother is a drunk and so is her mom's boyfriend. He is abusive and cruel, but Kim has to stay strong, for her sister. Then Jack moves to town and tries to befriend Kim. Should she let him into the horror of her life, or leave him alone and shattered? JackxKim
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

She wore a long-sleeved grey cardigan. Paired with jeans, a plain tee, and converse, she looked like any other girl. But it was August. The sleeves were necessary. They hid the bruises. On the outside, she was Kimberly Anne Crawford. Beautiful and smart, yet solitary and silent. But on the inside, she was no more than a small child, afraid of what was going on and what could come from it. The seventeen year old has a troubling life. But it wasn't always so. When she was little, the girls father would take her for ice cream, play games with her, just like any other seven year olds dad would. Then, the accident happened.

**Chapter One**

I woke up to sound of shouting. It was just like any other morning. I dragged myself out of the rickety bed I'd had since I was nine and went to the bathroom to get ready. In my short sleeved tank and shorts I slept in, I looked broken. Bruises littered my arms, and I remembered how I got each and every one of them. But the one who inflicted them more than likely didn't.

Where my skin wasn't black or blue, it was a ghostly white. Pale as the moon, my best and only friend, Grace, called it. Pasty is what Liz called it. Liz was, technically, my mother. But not really. The pale skin of my face was framed by long, softly curled, blonde hair. It fell over my right eye naturally, and came halfway down my back. My eyes were my best feature, I think. They were a deep hazel, framed by long thick lashes. Liz calls the color boring, but I don't think so. They were my father's eyes. I walk down stairs to find Liz yelling at my four year old half-sister, Anna. She was crying.

"Liz! Why are you yelling at her?!" I shouted angrily. Liz's live-in boyfriend, Keith, had already left for who knows where.

"The little brat wanted me to _walk her to school._ Do you know how busy I am, Kim? Deal with her!" She screamed and left the house.

I walked over to my little sister, one of the few things I care about and consoled her.

"A-All I w-want-ted was h-her t-t-to w-walk me t-to sch-school!" the small girl sobbed. "A-All the o-other m-m-mommies d-do!"

"Shh...it's ok Annie, I'll walk you to school, like I do every day."

"I-I know, but the o-other g-girls have mommies!"

"True, but you aren't the other girls. You are special. Now lets get you ready for Pre-K. Okay?"

"O-Okay."

I got her washed up and made her toast for breakfast. I took after my father, but Anne and I had different fathers. She took after Liz, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I had practically raised her on my own, so her behavior is similar to mine, or as similar as it can be, her being four. Her short, red, stick straight hair was adorable in her trademark pigtails, and her bright green eyes wrapped you around her finger. Unless you were Liz or Keith. Neither of them found Annie remotely adorable, constantly calling her a nuisance. I didn't rank much higher among them.

When my dad was alive, I was his baby girl. We did everything together, and back then, Liz was close to being a suitable mother. Then there was the accident. I was nine when it happened. My dad and I were driving home from my karate tournament. We were driving on main when a semi came barreling from the opposite direction. My father died almost instantly. In the back seat, I only received minor cuts and injuries, along with a small scar I kept covered by my side swept bangs. I was never the same. I distanced myself from my friends, and stuck to myself, creating thick walls to protect myself. Then in ninth grade, I met my only friend, Grace, who somehow squeezed through a crack in the dense walls.

After my father's death, Liz was a wreck. She started drinking constantly, and quickly became an alcoholic. Soon after came Keith. She met him about five years ago, and had Anne a year after that. Two years ago he became abusive. An alcoholic, like my mother, he was often in a drunken slur. Hot-tempered, he came home most nights drunk and took out whatever had bothered him earlier that day on me. All the bruises, all the scars, they were all reminders of the monster under my bed. Keith.

I walked Annie over to Seaford Elementary School, and dropped her off at the entrance. As I was waving goodbye, Gwen pulled up beside me in her baby blue VW Bug, which she had gotten as a sweet sixteen present last year.

"Bonjour, Kim. Want a lift?" she asked, smiling from the front seat.

"Nope. I'd much rather walk the five miles from the elementary school to the high school." I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Gee. No need to be so rude!" she teased "Hop in."

We drove to school in silence, as we so often did. But it wasn't the kind of loud, awkward silence that occurred when one couldn't think of anything to talk about, but the comfortable silence that came with two people who already know all there is to know about each other. When we pulled into the parking lot at Seaford High, Grace finally spoke.

"What's going on with Keith and Liz?" she said. She knew about what they did to me, and she understood the need for confidentiality.

"The usual. Keith had left when I got downstairs, but Liz was screaming at Annie."

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, Anne wanted her to walk her to school that morning, because that is what all the 'other mommies' do."

"Awww...poor Anne. Do you to want to stay with us this weekend?" she asked. Anne and I stayed at Grace's almost every weekend, just to get away from home. Keith and Liz don't really notice, and if they do, they don't seem to really care.

"Yeah, thanks." I said as we walked toward the school, having just now found a parking spot. On weekends, the school parking lot was similar to a barren dessert, but on any given weekday, it was as dense as the thickest forest. We made our way towards first period, which was AP English III with Mr. Martin. We took our assigned seats and began the lesson for today. We were reviewing _The Count of Monte Cristo _for a test we had on Monday. When we were filling out the review sheets, a piece of folded up paper landed on my desk. I unfolded it and read the words scrawled in a small, neat script. Then I replied and we started a small conversation when we were supposed to be answering questions on Chapters fifteen through twenty. Oh well. **(A/N **_Grace, _**Kim)**

_Mr. M boring you yet? -G_

**Naturally. You? Because I, for one, have already read the entire book, and the review is first grade material anyways. -Kim**

_You're so smart! I wish I were a teen Einstein...but yeah, I'm really bored too. Did you study for the test in Trig next hour? -G_

**No! I forgot :(. Is your mom cool with me and Anne staying with you this weekend? -Kim**

_Always! You know she thinks of you as her other daughter! -G_

This continued until the bell rang twenty minutes later. I sighed. One class down, six to go. Thankfully, it was Friday and I'd get to go to Grace's for the weekend as opposed to going home to Liz and Keith...I shuddered as I remembered his stinging blows from last night.

_Flashback_

_I walked through the front door, silent as if hoping to escape the upcoming onslaught of pain. Keith comes in, stumbling in a drunken slur. I open my mouth to talk, but he cuts me off with a slap to the face. It stings, leaving a red, hand shaped mark across my cheek. _

_"Where have you been?!" He shouts, drunkenly._

_"I-I was at school," I say truthfully, "studying."_

_"You expect me to believe that?" he says, angry, "I mean, look at this dump. Get home straight after school gets out and get to work! Do you hear me? Can you understand, you selfish little twit?!" _

_He speaks forcefully, slurring the words and stumbling around. He hits me, once, twice, three times. All in a different place on my already bruised arm. He passes out from the alcohol and I go to my room. I am sad, but I don't cry. I haven't since the first time he hit me. It only proves how weak I am, and I have to be strong. For those I care about. Anne. Grace. And I have to be strong for myself, to prove I can make it through. I mustn't cry._

I cringe. I sit through my morning classes, all of them barely registering in my mind. AP English III. AP Trigonometry. AP European History. AP French III. Finally the bell rings for lunch. I walk to the cafeteria, grateful for the opportunity to talk to Gwen about Liz and Keith. Plus, its often the only meal I get a day. I use the piece of bread I'm permitted every morning on Annie, and I'm often not allowed dinner, and any scraps I get go to Anne as well.

Lunch that day was hamburgers and fries. From my living conditions and the fact that all the money in the house goes towards food for Liz and Keith or drugs and alcohol (whether it be from a bar or the liquor store), Anne and I are two of the four kids in the entire district who qualify for free lunches.

After getting my lunch, I start walking towards the library. That's where Grace and I eat, considering we're both high school outcasts. I sighed. Grace used to have other friends before she met me. They all thought I was 'lame' and ditched Grace when she started to hang out with me. I've always felt guilty about that. Although in retrospect, they probably weren't incredible friends if they ditched her so easily...still. I'm walking through the halls when I walk into a brick wall. Or what felt like one. My lunch went flying as I hit the floor. I look up into the sneering face of Frank. He was a senior, one year older than me. He, like the majority of the schools seniors, juniors, and a few high ranked sophomores, had been one of my tormentors through the year.

"What do we have here...little Kimmy Crawford, off to the library." he taunted.

I stayed silent. Through the years, I had learned that sticking up for yourself only got you a black eye. The majority of the guys who tortured me never dared hit a girl - they only made fun of me. The rest, like Brian, stuck to minor hits and kicks. But the girls...lets just say they have no qualms about hurting me. But compared to Keith, their threats and actions didn't affect me as much as they hope they will. Maybe that's why I'm so fun to torture. To see who can get me to break first. Little did they know how hard that would be to do.

"What's wrong, Kim? Cat got your tongue?"

His groupies laughed. Frank never seemed to go far without his small army of karate kids and cheerleaders. Briefly, I wonder what may happen if I simply get up and continue to the library. After picking up and disposing of my fallen lunch, of course. For lack of a better option, I decide to try it. I gather the pieces of my food and throw it away. The trash can is in the opposite direction of the library. Once I'm done with that, I walk back in the direction of the library, which is, unfortunately, in the direction of Frank and his friends.

"Awww...leaving so soon, Kimmy?" Frank cooed. His friends laugh as he sticks out a leg and trips me, sprawling me back onto the ground. "I didn't think so." he says.

"What do you want, Frank?" I say after regaining my breath. The sudden contact with the cold, hard ground had knocked the wind out of me.

"Nothing, really. Just having a little fun." he laughed.

"Hey! Leave her alone." Came an unfamiliar voice. Confused, I sat up and looked behind me to see an evidently angry boy walking towards us at a quick pace.

"Who do you think you are?" asked Frank, angered at the boy who had interrupted his 'fun'.

"Jack Anderson, and who do I have the displeasure of speaking to this afternoon?"

"Listen you little-" he started before Donna, one of the cheerleaders, stepped in.

"Calm down, Frank. Mr. Gregory is on hall way patrol and could come by any second now." she said.

"Whatever." he spat out, bitterly. "I'll deal with you later, _Jack__._" he said his name like the very sound of it tasted foul on his tongue, his voice dripping with venom.

He walked away, leaving me and Jack alone in the otherwise barren hall.

"Are you okay?" he said it softly, but the sound of his voice still startled me and I jumped a bit.

"I've been worse." I said, barely a whisper.

"My names Jack."

Jack. I liked it.

"Kim." I said, louder this time. "Why did you help me?"

He shrugged. "I'm always eager to help a pretty damsel in distress."

"I am _not _a damsel in distress." I said forcefully "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, I could sure tell by the way they had you cornered over there." he replied.

This boy, _Jack_, was starting to irritate me. His cocky smirk was replaced by a frustrated expression, his brows knit together in concern. His eyes...those are what bugged me the most. Normally I can get a read on people through their eyes, but his were clouded and unclear to me. The color itself was striking, a warm deep chocolate, staring into my own hazel ones. He had thick lashes that girls would be jealous of and dark brown, longish (for a boy), wavy hair. Most of the time I don't notice a guy's features so closely, so it unhinged me that I had paid so much attention to this boy whom I'd just met, and already wasn't fond of.

"Look, Kim, right? I wasn't trying to insult you. I'm sure you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I was just trying to help, okay?"

"Well, thanks for that, but it wasn't necessary." I said standing up.

"Well, next time, maybe I'll just keep walking." He said to me with a scowl.

"Good luck with that, you seem to have a bit of a hero complex, and this sort of thing is a daily occurrence for me." I say.

His eyes immediately softened and I knew I'd said the wrong thing. Pity was definitely not something I searched for, and if this kid got close to me he could learn about my family, and that could ruin everything. I can see it in my head, little Anne heading off to foster care. I only needed one more year, then I'd turn eighteen and be out of here.

"This happens _every day?_ Are you okay? Why do they do this to you?" He said rapidly, his face showing distinct concern.

"Look, its not a big deal, okay? If you want to have any sort of life at this school, just don't talk to me. You got it? Good." And I quickly walked away before he could say anything else.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Class after class, until the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. It was Wednesday, which meant that I needed to pick Anne up from elementary school and take her home, then get groceries with the small amount of money I've picked up from odd jobs around our beat up neighborhood. Then I had to get home, and hide the food. Before Keith gets home. If he was home before me, no matter what, it was _always _bad news.

Reluctantly, I hopped down from the lab stool in my Physics class. I gathered my books and things and walked quickly to my locker. I stuffed everything I would need for my homework that night into my old canvas backpack and exited the school. The elementary school was five miles away from the high school, but luckily only one mile away from our 'house'. I jogged a little on the way over there, and got to the school just as they were coming out the entrance with all the teachers. Luckily the elementary school day ends half an hour later than the high schools.

I looked through the crowd and spotted Annie's signature red pigtails talking animatedly to another little girl, who I assumed was in her class. She laughed and turned around a bit and saw my. I smiled when I saw her face light up as she waved goodbye to her friend and her teacher. She ran over and gave me a big bear hug.

"Hey Annie! How was school? I asked her.

"It was good. We got to draw pretty pictures and we learned the alph-a-bet." She said, enunciating each syllable in the word 'alphabet', as if trying to double check that she got the word right. It was adorable. I laughed. "Well, maybe on the way home you can tell me all about it." I told her. She smiled and nodded as I grabbed her hand and we started the mile long trek towards home.

"Hey Kimmy, you want to hear me say my alph-a-bet?"

I laughed again. "I would be delighted."

She started singing, "A-B-C-D-E-F-G. H- I-J-K-ELEMENO-P." And so on. She repeated the song five times before we got to the house. When we entered the house, we were hit by a wave of the scent of alcohol. I took Anne up to the room we shared and set her down on her bed with a coloring book and some old broken crayons to play with until I got back. I hated to leave her alone like this, but we needed food, and the quick shop was just around the block. I wouldn't be gone long.

I told her I'd be back in about half an hour and left the house, crumpled up bills resting in my pocket. When I got to the store, I grabbed a basket and my list and grabbed foods that didn't need to be cooked and didn't expire for a while, such as chips, jerky, canned fruits and vegetables, stuff like that. This continued until I had enough food to last us the next two weeks.

When I was done with that, I walked over to the checkout counter and saw a small jigsaw puzzle on sale for ninety-nine cents. It was cheap, and Annie would love it. I picked it up and added it to the rest of the stuff. After checking out, I had about five dollars to put back towards the next time I went grocery shopping.

I walked home, thinking about the new kid the entire way. Jack. Why can't he just mind his own business? Why couldn't he be like all the other kids in school and just ignore me? But no, he just _had _to step in and save the day. I could not, _would not_, let him get close to me. Nope, not going to happen. Who cares if he has chocolate eyes that make you melt? Not me – it wouldn't work.

I got to the house and slipped inside. Liz was home, but passed out on the old, beaten up couch, a half-empty bottle of beer lying open in her hand. I walked down the hall to Anne and I's room and saw her sitting on the floor, coloring like she was when I left forty minutes ago. She looked up and grinned.

"Hey Kimmy! Look what I did!" She said, holding up a picture of a half colored unicorn.

I laughed. "That's awesome! Do you want to see what I got you?"

She nodded rapidly.

I took out the puzzle, which was one of the fifty piece kids puzzles and had a picture of a golden retriever puppy on it.

When I handed it to her, her eyes lit up. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She yelled.

I smiled. "Keep it down Annie; you don't want to wake up Liz."

She nodded and took the lid off the puzzle. I grabbed my Trig book and sat down on my bed.

_-5 cosᶺ2x+9 sin x=-3_

I sighed and solved the problem. This continued until I had finished all of my homework. Down the hall, I heard Keith stumble in to the house. I closed my book and gestured to Annie to stay quiet. She nodded. Through the home's thin walls, I heard Keith talking to a now conscious Liz, his voice slurred. I couldn't make out what, exactly, they were saying, but I heard Liz mumble in reply to whatever Keith had said.

Then there were footsteps stomping down the hallway and my eyes widened. Quickly I gestured for Annie to go hide in the closet. She looked upset, but did as she was told.

Keith threw open the door and walked into my room.

"Hey Kimmy, where's your sister?" He slurred.

Naturally, I lied. "At a friend's house. She is staying there for the week."

He grunted in reply. With Keith, you have to be very careful about what you say. The wrong word could send him into one of his rages. And you had to use a calm, even toned voice. If he thought you were being sarcastic, rude, or insolent, you'd be done for. I knew this from experience. When he had first started beating me, I had tried to stand up for myself, but it only enraged him further. That had been the first, and only, time I had cried.

"What are you making for dinner?" He asked me.

"Spaghetti, with marinara sauce."

He nodded and staggered out of the room. I shut the door and told Annie to come out by knocking softly on the door. She came out of hiding a smiled at me. I tried to keep her childhood as light and fun and normal as I could but she had to understand a few things.

One: When Keith is around, and I tell you to hide, hide. Now.

Two: If Liz or Keith are drinking their 'special juice' you avoid them.

And Three: _Never _tell anyone _anything _about what goes on here at home.

She understood my few rules and abided by them. She avoids Liz and Keith and has thankfully never breathed a word to anyone about our home life. The only one who knew was Grace, and only because she had figured it out.

_Flashback_

_ I was fourteen years old. I was walking home from school when a girl jogged up beside me and stuck her hand out, waiting for me to shake it. I just looked at her. She let it slide and started talking anyways._

_ "Hey, I'm Grace. I've seen you around school. You're the one who doesn't talk to anybody!"_

_ I just nodded, still looking at her as if to say 'don't bother'._

_ But she just kept talking. "Kim, right? Anyways, I came over here to see if you wanted to eat lunch with Kelsey and me tomorrow."_

_ I shook my head. I had no interest whatsoever of befriending this girl._

_ "If you don't, that's okay. I'll just eat with you instead and we can talk. Where do you eat any ways? The library?_

_ I nodded slowly. Then she smiled and walked away._

_End Flashback_

And that's how we became friends. She just slowly wormed her way into my life. She figured out about Keith and Liz when she saw one of the bruises on my arm and asked about it. It was just after the beatings had started and I was scared. So I spilled. Grace promised to keep my secret so Annie wouldn't get taken away. Her mom didn't know what exactly was going on, but she definitely knew something wasn't right. Grace's mom is one of those people to where they know something's wrong but they know if you have a good reason for keeping it that way. And I definitely had a good reason.

After I made and served dinner, I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Then I got myself ready for bed and helped Anne get ready for bed. Around eight o' clock, I called lights out and tucked her in. Then I climbed into bed myself. Before long, all I could see was darkness.

_ "I'm coming for you…" The cold voice whispered in my ear. I could hear it, feel it all around me. A single light was resting in the middle of the cavernous room. I could see it, but I couldn't reach it. Hours of searching and relentless taunts from the disembodied voice surrounding me, I finally came to the light. There was a chair, and in the chair, A person. If you could call it that. Its face was constantly changing, flashing person to person. Liz. Donna. Frank. All of my tormentors from school. Keith. Then the voice was back._

_ "We're coming for you, and when we find you, we'll kill you…"_

I shot up, beads of sweat across my forehead. I could still hear that voice, echoing inside my head. Haunting me. I calmed down. I laid back down and let sleep take over once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks for the reviews and the favorites/follows! There is a lot more Kick in this chapter. Enjoy! And PLEASE REVIEW!**

Chapter Three

I woke up the next morning, my mind in a fog. The nightmare was still fresh in my mind. I shuddered. I got up and started to get ready when I noticed something odd. The house was quiet. Too quiet. Usually by this time Liz was up and shouting while Keith was stumbling out the door, barking back at her.

My heart stopped for a moment. I whipped my head around and practically collapsed with relief. Annie was still there, her chest bobbing slowly up and down. She was here, alive and well. Now the only question was where were Keith and Liz?

I wandered out into the hallway, hesitantly poking my head around the corner. I couldn't see either of them. I wandered out and saw Liz passed out on the ground. Keith must have already left for the day.

I walked back to the room and gently shook Annie awake. She opened her eyes and yawned.

"Time for school, Annie."

She groaned and sat up. "But I don't wanna get up…"

"Too bad. The school isn't going to change start times just because you don't want to get up." I told her.

"Why not…"

We've had this conversation before. Nearly every morning, actually.

"Just because." I told her. That's what I always told her. How do you tell a four year old that they aren't special and that the school won't change the rules for them? Exactly.

I got her dressed and ready for school and we left the house silently. Annie was still pretty tired so she didn't really talk a lot on the way there, which was highly out of character.

Once I had dropped her off, I booked it to the high school. I did _not _need to be late. If I had any tardys in school, I may not qualify for scholarships. I know that I won't have much time for college once I have custody of Anne, after I turn eighteen, but I still would like to go eventually.

I sighed. Only another two months before I turned eighteen. Then Annie would be mine and we wouldn't have to worry about Keith or Liz. I only hoped nothing too horrible happens before that…

I reached the school and grabbed the books I'd need for English. When I walked through the halls, I was ignored. This, I was used to. But then my routine changed.

"Hey."

I looked up, startled out of my thoughts. A familiar brown-eyed boy was talking to me the same one who had been haunting my thoughts.

"What do you want?" I asked him coldly.

"Yeesh, whats with the cold shoulder?" He asked me, a hurt expression on his face.

I couldn't help it. I softened at the expression on his face. "Nothing, it's not your fault." I said.

"Well then what is it?" He asked looking concerned. "Was it Frank again?"

"No, I'm just stressed."

"What about?"

Oh no. Not this question. Of course, I lied. Lying came pretty easily when you do it as much as I have to. "Oh, you know. Homework."

He nodded in understanding.

"So, um, why exactly are you talking to me? I had thought that I'd made myself clear. If you want any more than two friends at this school, do. Not. Talk to me." I told him.

Once again, he looked hurt. "But I kinda _like _talking to you, Kim." He said.

Awww, he is so swe- _'No' _I told myself. He is not sweet. He could ruin _everything. _

"Well, that's really nice, but doing so can ruin your rep here forever."

"That's alright. I mean how great is my reputation now? I already made that Frank guy mad and that can't be good, right?"

I sighed. He was, of course, right. Angering Frank on your first day…not the best way to start at a new school. "Look, I've got to get to class. I'll see you later, okay?" I told him.

"Okay…wait, may I see your schedule?" He asked me.

I groaned. He just. Doesn't. Quit. Does he? "Sure, whatever." I said in reply, handing over the sheet of paper.

He scanned the page and smiled. That can't be good. "We have P.E, Home Ec., and Physics together."

I faked a smile. "Yay!" I say sarcastically.

"Guess I'll see you then?" He asked.

"I guess." I said and he smiled and walked away.

This boy would be the end of me.

When I got to history, I saw Grace talking to a guy. Weird. Grace is great, but we just aren't exactly 'popular'. I know I've seen this guy before though…Jimmy? Jason? I walked over.

"Hey Grace. What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to Jerry." She said.

Jerry! I knew I had a 'J'. I'm pretty proud of myself right now.

"Hey, mamacita." He said to me.

What is the deal? For three years, no one has talked, _kindly_, to me but Grace. And now two boys? I'm so very confused. But I'm not worried. Not about Jerry. I may not remember his name, but I remembered his face. He is one confused guy. He couldn't figure out my secret if his life depended on it. And _my _life depends on him _not _finding out. Oh, the irony.

But on a different subject (sort of), this guy looks like he is making Gracie happy. And I can't control who she talks to. Its not fair of me to do that just for the sake of the secret. So she could talk to him, befriend him, date him, whatever. Although by the way she is grinning, I'll bet she is hoping for that last one.

"Hi." I said simply in return.

"I'm Jerry, Jerry Martinez." He told me, sticking his hand out.

"Kim. Kim Crawford." I say hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you Kim." He said as the teacher walked in. "I'll see you at Grace? Kim, you can sit with us too!" He said so I didn't feel left out.

"No, that's fine. You guys can talk; I'll be fine on my own. Maybe tomorrow." I told them. Grace mouthed 'sorry, but thank you!' to me when Jerry wasn't looking. I just smiled, and rolled my eyes. She was smitten.

* * *

I sat down in my usual desk near the front of the room and copied down the assignment on the board. I worked on it the duration of the hour and finished just before the bell rang. I sighed, grabbed my books, and walked to Home Ec.

When I got there, I sat down and opened the recipe book on the table. I was scanning the table of contents when I felt someone sit beside me.

"Hi." Said a now familiar voice.

I looked up and grimaced. "Hey, Jack. Why are you sitting there?"

He grinned. "I told you we had Home Ec. together, but I don't think you believed me."

"I believed you. I was just hoping that you would A, ignore me, or B, switch your schedule. I see that neither of those objectives being achieved, so let me ask you something. What is your deal? Are you stalking me? Or am I just some strange creature you've never seen before and you are just supremely curious about. Well?" I say expectantly.

"I just wanted to know you. Be your friend. And believe me, I have never met anyone like you before." He said seriously.

For some reason, I felt my cheeks warm up at his words. Was that a compliment? Or a well veiled insult? Either way, I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. Saved by the teacher.

"Okay class, your partners for next semester are posted online, and today we will be working on Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake." She said. "The instructions are in the cookbook that is in the middle of your station. Two people to a cake. Work with whomever you're sitting next too. "Kim, you can work with-" She stopped, having turned to see me sitting by Jack. "With him, I guess. Have fun, good luck." She said awkwardly, walking away quickly. I can't blame her. I've been alone since the beginning of the year. And suddenly, Jack.

"So, I guess we should get started, huh partner?"

"Yep." I mumbled.

We laid out the ingredients according to the book. After we'd mixed in the ingredients, we put the cake in the oven. He held up his hand for a high five, and I, oddly enough, complied. Through the course of the assignment, I could feel myself warming up to him. Much as I don't like the thought, I've become a little attached to Jack Anderson. He made me feel…safe.

"Kim. Kiiimmm. Hello?" He said.

I was jolted out of my thoughts. "Yeah?"

"I was just asking if you were alright. You were a little unresponsive."

"Oh, sorry. Just, you know, thinking."

"What about?" He asked me. Have I mentioned I hate this question? Why can't people mind their own business.

"Oh, life in general." I lied easily. I couldn't say I was thinking about him!

He nodded. Suddenly the timer dinged on the oven.

* * *

We looked at it. And looked at it some more. Then we tilted our heads to the left and looked at it again.

"It's a little…" He started, trailing off.

"Gray?" I offered.

"Yeah…" He said slowly.

The teacher was walking around, tasting and grading everyone's cakes. It was odd. No one else's were grey. I wonder why? They must have really messed up for their cakes to be brown.

Inside, I knew we had screwed up. Somewhere along the recipe, we had made a fatal mistake.

The teacher came by and skidded to a halt in front of our cake. She looked at it. Then she tilted her head to the left and looked at it some more.

"Its…" She said.

"An F?" Jack asked hesitantly.

She sighed and looked at it some more. "D for effort." She said and walked away.

Jack looked at me and grinned. And suddenly, we both just burst into laughter. It felt good. It had been so long since I had laughed like this. I haven't since before my dad died. I missed it.

We must have been a sight to see. Two juniors, cracking up in the middle of Home Ec. after just having received a D. Our classmates stared. But I didn't care. I was having too much fun.

Our laughter died down and everyone else went back to their work.

"Wanna play a game?" Jack asked me.

"What kind of game?" I asked dubiously.

"Twenty questions. We ask each other questions and have to answer honestly."

This was a dangerous game, but when needed, I was a very good liar.

I nodded and signaled for him to go first.

He thought for a moment. "Favorite color?"

Easy. "Tiffany blue." I replied.

He looked surprised. "Really? I would have guessed something less…girly."

I shrugged. "Yours?" I asked.

He smiled. "Green. Do you have any siblings?"

"One. A four year old sister, Anne."

He grinned again. "Your turn."

"Favorite food?"

"Easy, Kim. Pizza."

I shook my head. Typical answer. I haven't had pizza in two years. It sounds pretty amazing right now. My stomach grumbled. Jack heard.

"Hungry?" He asked me.

"No, I'm fine."

"Really? Your stomach appears to have a different opinion on that."

I blushed. Again! What was with that? "I'll grab something later."

"OR, you can come grab some pizza with me."

"And cut class? I don't think so."

"Come on! Just once. My treat. And besides, you seem pretty hungry."

He had a point. And pizza did sound amazing. Keith and Liz will never know. I gave in. "Fine. When do we leave?"

"After Home Ec." He smiled. Oh, gosh. If he keeps smiling like that, he will turn into one of those overly perky sales clerks. Not a good thing.

"Great." I replied. Who knows why I agreed. I was hungry and presented with pizza. Of course I'm going. It's not like it's a date or anything like that.

The bell rang. We gathered our stuff and left.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N OMG I am SOOOOOOO sorry for the wait. Its just that school started in mid-August and I've been SUPER busy with homework and stuff. But enough excuses. I need an idea for an OC. So I've decided to let you guys do it! Just leave a review with name, looks, likes, dislikes, ect. But I need a female character. She is going to date Eddie. So let me know your ideas! Also, I've realized that I've been forgetting these, so…**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Kickin' It. **

**On with le story!**

Chapter Four

Jack and I snuck out of the school quickly and quietly. We quickly ran over to his car. A shiny, new, frickin' Ferrari.

I gaped. "What are you, rich?" I asked him.

He grinned sheepishly. "You could say that. Gift from my grandfather." He said gesturing to the car, which was easily the nicest in the student parking lot.

"Whatever. Can we just get some food?"

"Sure." He said.

We got in the car and drove for a few minutes in silence. A lovely silence that he decided to break.

"So,Kimmy-"

I cut him off. "Never call me that." I said sharply.

"Okay. Sheesh. So, _Kim_, why the total aversion to cutting class?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know caring about my grades was such a horribly uncommon thing."

"Well, all I'm saying is, you seemed totally adamant about it. And lets be honest. I've been here, what? Two days? And I can already tell not many here care that much about grades. I've met, like, three, including you."

"Three in two days? Please."

"Whatever."

I sighed. He was incredibly infuriating. Yet, in a way, it was almost, _almost_, endearing.

He spoke again. "So, why does everyone bully you?" He asked, albeit softly. This kid had no boundaries.

I glared at him. "I don't know, ask the bullies. Maybe its because I'm a, quote on quote, 'loser'. And besides, not e_veryone _bullies me. The freshies don't. And not even everyone in our grade. Just the popular kids. The outcasts may not like me, but they leave me alone. Not to mention Grace, my _friend. _And you don't." I took a breath. His eyebrows were raised, but his eyes were caring. Yippy dee doo.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, you really shouldn't have."

"Can we act like the last five minutes never happened?"

I was about to tell him where he could shove his 'last five minutes' crap, when I looked over. His eyes. They were hopeful, pleading. He honestly wasn't trying to offend me. And something about the idea of seeing him sad and disappointed. Something about that was so incredibly unappealing, so entirely dreadful, so that as much as I knew we shouldn't be friends, knew that I should push him away, I couldn't. I gave in.

"What five minutes?" I said with a small smile.

He broke into a huge grin. It was almost enough to make me laugh, his reaction. It was just so…childlike. He had the outlook of a small child. As much as I knew he was capable of, he saw the world as magical. It was pretty incredible. '_Kim, do NOT grow attached. He could ruin EVERYTHING. Just a few more months.' _I loathe my inner logic, but I knew it was right. But, hey. Whats just one pizza?

He pulled into the parking lot of a small pizza joint called Antonio's Pizzeria. He parked the car and hopped out, jogging around the car and opening my door. I shot him an incredulous look.

"What?" He asked me.

"Why did you open the door for me?" The last person to do that was my father. Nearly five years ago.

He looked at me weirdly. "I was just being chivalrous!"

"Chivalry's dead." I said evenly.

He rolled his eyes. "Not where I'm from."

I smirked and we walked through the door. The maître-die led us to a small table in the back. The restaurant was small and homey, filled with laughter and conversation.

"How did you know about this place? You moved here a few days ago." I asked him.

"On our first night here, my mom and needed something to eat for dinner. Our stuff was, obviously, not unpacked yet. We drove around a bit and found this place. I loved it, but it was a little greasy for my mom. We actually live just around the corner. In that neighborhood, Wildflower Ridge." **(A/N: I do not own that name. I got it from one of my favorite authors, Sarah Dessen. All rights go to her.)**

"You live there?" I asked him, a little stunned. The houses there were huge and luxurious. Although it shouldn't be much of a shock after the Ferrari.

He nodded.

A waitress, probably around eighteen or so, walked over and eyed Jack appreciatively. I don't know why, but when this happened a small ball of nausea settled in the pit of my stomach. I shook it off.

"Hi, welcome to Antonio's, can I get you something to drink?" She asked him.

He didn't even notice the way she looked at him, but for some reason I did.

"I'll just have some water, please." He told her.

"Me too." I said. She looked over, as if she'd just now noticed I was there.

"Sure. Coming right up." She said, almost angrily.

This I shook off as well. Was she really jealous of me? This was laughable. I had NEV ER had anyone be even slightly jealous of me. And thanks to Jack? As if he would ever see me that way. And vice-versa. Obviously. Right? Of course.

He looked at me and smiled. "So, whaddya want, Kim?" He asked.

"Oh, um. I'm not sure. Pepperoni?"

He grinned. "Sure. That's my favorite."

I smiled. "Mine too."

When the waitress came back with our drinks, he ordered for us.

"Can we get…the large, thin crust pepperoni with a basket of garlic knots?" He asked her.

The waitress smiled at him and the pit in my stomach was back. "Of course. That'll be out in about fifteen minutes."

He thanked her and she left.

I just looked at him, a stunned expression on my face.

He looked confused. "What? What did I do now?"

"Why did you order so much food?" I asked him, incredulous.

He shrugged. "I'm hungry, you're hungry. And you said you had a sister. Take the leftovers home, eat them for dinner."

"That's…sweet. Thank you, I guess."

He smiled. "No problem."

We just sat there and talked about little things. Classes, teachers, movies. We almost didn't notice the arrival of the food.

The waitress sat the pizza and garlic knots in the middle of the small table and asked if we needed anything else. We both said no.

After she had left, Jack grabbed a slice of the greasy looking pizza and slid it onto his plat along with a garlic knot. He gestured for me to do the same.

I took the pizza and held it up to my mouth, pausing.

"Are you ready… to have the best pizza you've _ever_ had. In your _entire_ life?" He asked me.

I nodded hesitantly.

He bit into the slice and I did the same. The flavor exploded in my mouth. Jack was right-this was _amazing_. I didn't know about the best ever, but it was certainly the best I'd ever had. Of course, I didn't have a huge frame of reference.

"Well?" He asked me.

I just smiled in response and took another bite.

He laughed. "I told you so."

I rolled my eyes. He had a huge ego. Granted, a well warranted one. But still.

We spent almost two hours talking and eating our food. We joked, and laughed, and I genuinely enjoyed myself. How bad could being his friend be? Very. But was I willing to risk it? I don't know. I'm friends with Grace and that wasn't life ruining. But Jack…I don't know. I'm sure I can trust him, but the hero complex? He would call the cops for sure, and Annie would go to foster care. Just two months and I'd be eighteen, no longer a minor. Then we could leave. I would work, rent a small apartment. We wouldn't have to hide from Liz and Keith. As soon as I was legally old enough to have custody of Anne, that's when I'd lock them up. At least that was the plan. So long as Jack doesn't get involved. So maybe, just maybe, I'd let him try to be my friend. I may even be his. But he could never, ever find out. Final. End of story.

He paid for the food and handed me the box with the leftover pizza. By now, school was just ending.

"Where to?" He asked me.

"Can you drop me off at Seaford Elementary? I need to pick up my sister." I told him.

He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. We drove in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes before he pulled into the Elementary school's parking lot. He put the car in park and hopped out, once again opening my door.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"We're picking up your sister." He said simply.

"What? Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind taking you guys home."

"But it's like, two miles away. We can walk."

"OR, I can drive you. Its no big deal."

I glared at him. "Whatever." He can drop me off at Graces.

Just then the bell rang. A swarm of small children poured out the doors of the school, Anne amongst them. She ran towards me and I picked her up and gave her a hug. She looked at Jack.

"Kwimmy, who's that?" She asked me quietly.

Jack smiled at her. "Annie, this is Jack. My friend." I told her.

She looked at me. "Is he nice?"

I smiled at her. "Yes, yes he is. He is going to give us a ride."

"O-Kay, Kwimmy." She told me. She looked at Jack again. "Hi, I'm Annie." She told him.

He smiled big at her, his gorge-I mean … brown… eyes softened as he looked at her. "I'm Jack. Kim's friend."

She grinned at him and reached over to hug him. He graciously complied. Awww… he is really good with her. Wow.

He picked her up and walked over to his car.

He opened the trunk and pulled out a booster seat. I raised my eyebrows at him.

He explained without my saying anything. "I have a five year old cousin that I watch sometimes." He told me.

I nodded in understanding and buckled her up. I walked around and slid into the passenger seat.

"Kwimmy, why are we driving?" Anne asked me from the back.

"Jack offered. He got you some pizza too, so be sure to say thank you."

Her eyes lit up. "Thank you Jackie, thank you!" She yelled.

Jack laughed. "No problem." He looked at me. "Where to?"

"My friend Graces house. I'm staying at her house for the weekend." I explained.

He looked confused. "Annie too?"

"Yep. Grace has a little sister."

He shrugged and drove according to the directions I gave him. He pulled up and waited by the curb, probably to make sure I got in okay.

Anne and I walked up and I knocked on the door. Grace opened it and looked at me. She grimaced.

"What?" I asked her.

"I forgot…my parents are taking me to Barbados…we won't be back for a month." She said grimly. I groaned.

"It's alright. Enjoy your vacation, okay?"

"Okay. I'm really really sorry."

"No problem. See ya."

"Bye."

I gave her a hug and walked down the drive way, realizing Jack was still there.

He rolled down the window and looked at me. "Problem?" He asked.

I sighed. "Grace is going on vacation. In Barbados. For a month." I told him.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll take you home."

I sighed in defeat and pout Annie in the car seat. I hopped in the front and told him where to go. He pulled up in front of our little shack. He didn't say anything, which was unexpected.

"I'll see you later, okay? Do you have a cell phone?"

I did. "Yeah…an old one. Why?"

He just wrote down his number on a piece of paper and smiled at me. I just looked at him.

I took the paper and walked inside, waving goodbye as he drove off. I sent Annie into our room with the food and walked into the 'living room'. Keith was in there.

Uh-Oh.

**Review Review Review! And enter my OC contest!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Please don't hate me. I recognize that I am horrible at updating my stories and I apologize. I shall use the same flimsy excuse I used last time: I've been busy with school, my dance team, and NHS. I was going to update Saturday, but I've been sick ALL weekend. I really am sorry. On another note, the OC contest mentioned in chapter four is still open and will be until I upload chapter six. So my pretties, let me know all your wonderful ideas. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Kickin' It, I could have a Ferrari like Jack's. But I don't. *sigh***

**On with le story!**

Chapter Five

My blood ran cold as I stared into the bloodshot eyes focusing on my own. Keith was uncharacteristically early. I could see Liz passed out on the couch, the room reeking of stale beer and cigarettes. Bottles littered the floor, as usual, and the curtains were open. The curtains to the window Keith was sitting by. The curtains to the window overlooking the front yard. The same front yard where Jack had dropped me off moments ago.

Keith got up from his La-Z-Boy recliner, swaying a little.

"Kimmy, Kimmy, Kimmy," He slurred drunkenly, "where have you been?"

"I was at school, remember?" I replied calmly. I learned the hard way to never show fear.

"Really, Kimmy? Who dropped you off, huh?" He asked me.

"A friend."

"What kind of friend? A boyfriend?"

"No, it's not like that." I told him, my calm exterior wavering ever so slightly.

He picked up on the oh so _slight_ hesitation regarding the sentence. He growled and lunged at me, swinging his clenched fist into my stomach. I had grown used to such attacks, but Keith had never really had a motivation before today, so I braced myself for the worst.

He swung his fist again, this time landing a blow to my jaw. My head reeled from the impact. I rolled my jaw to make sure it hadn't been broken and then prepared for the next hit. He pushed me to the ground and kicked me right below my ribs. As I lay there, accepting my beating, I can't help but think of the real father who loved me. What would he say now? If he saw me like this? Surely he would be sad and angry that I was being hurt, but I can't help but think he'd be just a sliver disappointed in me for not defending myself. I tell myself I'm being ridiculous, because surely he'd understand, right? That I had to wait because of Anne. Yes, he'd understand. Of course he would.

I'm brought back to reality by a particularly painful blow to the side. I managed to sit up a little and Keith took advantage, grabbing my blond hair and yanking me up to face him.

"You're just a little slut, aren't you?" He slurred, emphasizing each word with a jab to my stomach. He threw me to the ground and I got up, hobbling into the kitchen to nurse my wounds, foolishly thinking the beating was through. He followed, stomping his way past me towards the countertop, which was currently covered with half full liquor bottles and take out trash. I leaned against the wall and caught my breath. Keith stumbled towards the knife block, grabbing a sharpened blade from the top.

My eyes widened. Over all the years, Keith had never, repeat _never_, made a move to grab an actual weapon. Should this really surprise me, of course not, but nevertheless, the thought of him potentially attempting to kill me paralyzed me. He walked towards me, and made an effort to slice across my arm. I rolled out of the way, but barely, as the blade still nicked my forearm. I did what anyone would do in the scenario. I ran. I made my way to the back room, the one Anne and I shared, running and trying to ignore the sharp throbbing pain throughout my body. I burst through the door and scooped up my sister, ignoring her startled response. I had one goal in my mind at the moment: escape.

I made it out the door and ran even faster.

"Don't bother coming back!" I heard Keith shout drunkenly after me. No doubt he would later sober up, realize we were both gone, and come looking for us. And when that happened he would be incredibly mad. My only option was to stay away. Indefinitely. More than likely forever.

Pushing the thought out of my mind, I kept running until I reached a nearby drug store. I put down Annie and caught my breath. Anne looked up at me, a look of confusion and worry adorning her face.

"Kwimmy, whats going on? Are you okway? Why are you bleeding?" She asked me.

I crouched down and smiled at her. "I'm okay. We're going to stay somewhere else from now on, okay?"

She scrunched up her eyebrows, showing she was concerned, but nodded anyways.

"Good. Now come on." I took her little hand and led her into the store, grateful I had remembered to grab my small stack of cash. I first walked into the bathroom to inspect the damage. I lifted my shirt halfway to reveal painful bruises beginning to form beneath my ribcage. I had a hand shaped bruise on each of my wrists, clearly displaying that someone had grabbed me. My ponytail was disheveled from Keith yanking it up, and I had the beginnings of both a black eye and a nasty bruise on my jaw. There was blood beginning to stain the torn sleeve where he had slashed the knife. No wonder Annie was so worried. I used the emergency concealer in my pocket to cover the visible bruises and used my fingers to brush through my hair. Then I walked out of the bathroom and used part of my money to buy a cheap "I Heart Seaford" long sleeved tee shirt and some bandages, ignoring the strange look I got from the cashier. The other part I saved.

I walked back into the bathroom, took off the ruined top, bandaged my arm, and put on the Seaford tee. I walked out, grabbed Annie's hand, and left the store silently.

We hadn't walked two minutes before Anne spoke up.

"Kwimmy, where are we going?" She asked me.

I paused, not really having considered the aspect. I didn't have near enough cash for us to rent a room in even the cheapest motel. Grace was out of town. I didn't have any other options. Unless…crap. There is one place in the universe I can stay with the exception of my sister and myself sleeping in the gutter. But I didn't like this option. Not at all. Unfortunately, I have no choice. And this one, horrible, option may not even be possible. After all, parents set rules. But, sadly, I had to try or else Anne and I would be taking up residency in a five star cardboard box.

"We're going to stay at a friend's house, okay?"

"Which one?" She asked me. "Gracie's?"

"No," I replied quietly, "Jack's."

**A/N Sorry it's so short, but I hope you guys liked it. Again don't forget about the OC contest and REVIEW! The more reviews, the faster I update…please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top? Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Greetings my lovelies! I'm back with another chapter for all my wonderful readers. Did I ever mention that your reviews totally make my day? Because they do, and I love you all. But anyways, the winner of my OC contest is…*drumroll*…CrazyJulz16! To those who didn't win, your characters were amazing, and it was really hard to choose, so props to Maddy, Spot an Appaloosa, and MysteryWriter12345. You all did fantastically. CrazyJulz16, your character will be introduced in chapter seven. Love you all! Enjoy chapter six!**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Kickin' It. **

**On with le story!**

Chapter Six

Annie looked at me a little confused.

"Jack? The one who got me pizza?"

I looked at her and tried to smile, but it probably came out as more of a grimace. "Yeah, that's the one."

She smiled. "I like him!"

This time my grin came easier. "Good."

We started walking in silence. I knew Jack lived in Wildflower Ridge, but I didn't know what his address was or if he was even home. We headed in the direction of the large neighborhood, which at this point was about an hour's walk away. Or ten minutes by car. I thought about it and decided to wait for a bus. After all, I did have about ten dollars with me. Annie and I made our way to the nearest bus stop and sat on the bench to wait. I grabbed one of the maps from a plastic bin by the 'bus stop' sign, and studied it. If we took route 'D', then we could get about five minutes away from the gates. I waited by the bus stop with Annie.

While we were waiting, Annie fell asleep on my lap. Poor kid had a long day. I mean, technically, we were homeless. I just hope Jack will be able to house us, at least for a little while. But what of he can't? Then what? I sigh. This could be disastrous. And even if we can stay with Jack and his family, what about clothes? We had no time to pack. I would feel awful if he had to buy us a bunch of new clothes to go with the housing and food. God, what did I get myself into? All for a pizza? I'm an idiot. An absolute idiot. And to bring Anne into this? I'm, like, the worst sister ever. I mean, really? Your sister's safety for pizza? It was really good pizza, but not near that good. I feel awful, my little sister and I are (currently) homeless, foodless, and with nothing but the clothes on our back and a crumpled up wad of bills. A decidedly small crumpled up wad of bills. So add broke to the list. Its official: my life is a mess. And all my hopes currently lie on the shoulders of a boy I've known for roughly two days.

Granted, he is a sweet boy, who happens to be very rich, and also, admittedly, rather handsome. Okay, downright gorgeous. But I'd rather drink nothing but vinegar for sixty days straight than say that to his face.

I was jolted out of my musings by the screech of the buses brakes grinding to a halt against the pavement. I checked the bus schedule again and realized that this was the bus we needed to get to Jack's house. I woke up Annie and we walked over to the doors.

"Five for adults, three for ten and under." Said the bus driver. He sounded bored, as if he had said those same words thousands of times before. Which, come to think of it, he probably had.

I handed him the bills I had and he gave me two ones back. He nodded at me and I walked Anne down the aisle towards a bench seat around the middle of the bus. The vehicle was fairly empty. Other than myself and Anne, there were only about six other people.

The gruff voice of the driver came from the front. "Next stop, Bayview Road. **(A/N No idea if this is a real road. But I don't own it just in case.)**

He started driving along the street, the bus hopping on occasion from bumps in the road. I looked out the window, the back at the schedule. According to the paper, we were three stops from Allacaster Court **(Again…don't own. From here on out, just figure that I own nothing. Except the storyline. :)**, which was a five minute walk from the gates. I looked out the window again while the world passed by. I look down and see Annie looking past me, craning her little neck, to try and look out the window as well.

I let out a small laugh and put her on my lap again. At least if we have no more clothes, she's dressed in layers. She has a pink jacket on over a green tee shirt, jeans, and light up tennis shoes that I'd had when I was her age and passed down to her. I, of course, was still wearing the long-sleeved "I Heart Seaford" tee I'd bought at the gas station. I took the ponytail on my wrist and pulled my long hair into a high ponytail. I usually kept it down to cover my face, but now I'm a runaway and I should at least be able to cross off 'hair in eyes' from my long list of issues.

Anne had her face pressed against the window and before I knew it, I heard the driver call out, "Next stop, Allacaster Court!"

I grabbed Annie's hand.

"We're getting off when the bus stops, okay?" I told her.

She smiled at me, her dimples showing. "O-kway Kwimmy."

"Good girl." I said, smiling.

The bus once again screeched to a halt and Annie got out of the bench, with me not to far behind her. As we exited the bus, I heard the bus driver mumble a quick 'have a nice day', and he closed the doors.

I took a deep breath and started walking towards the gates. When I got there, I used my mad ninja skills to figure out I could electronically scroll through a list of names and addresses on the monitor beneath the key code area. It didn't take long to find the last name Anderson, and I thank my lucky stars that his parents are efficient enough to have their name in the system so soon after moving in. I look at the address next to their name and, quickly as I can, commit it to memory: 12167 Lincoln Lane. I grab Annie and walk over to the little side gate that lets runners and bicyclists and whoever into and out of the neighborhood.

Once we're inside, I look around and see that Lincoln Lane is the street directly to my left. I sigh in relief that I don't have to search the entire neighborhood and quickly begin the search for 12167.

* * *

Okay. Lincoln Lane is a really, really long street. And Jack's house, 12167, is at the end of the very long street. The very end. The house is literally the last one on the cul de sac. Very last. And the house at the very end of Lincoln Lane, Jack's house, is huge. I'm talking jaw-dropping, 'oh-my-lord people actually live here?' huge.

I'm just standing, looking between the house and the mailbox sign, trying to see if I'm reading wrong. I'm not. Yowza. When the boy said rich, he wasn't messing around.

Annie looked up at me. "Here?" she asked me.

I could only nod.

She smiled in excitement and ran to the door, reaching for the doorbell. It was then I thanked that her small little four year old self was too short to reach. I run and catch up to her, dropping to my knees.

"Anne, wait for me, okay? Let me talk to him."

She frowned a little, but nodded anyways.

I smiled at her and stood up. I took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell. I could hear it echoing in the huge house, followed shortly by footsteps.

The door opened to reveal a tall, old man dressed nicely in a black and white tuxedo. He smiled at me. "May I help you?"

"I-I'm Kim. Is Jack home?" I ask nervously.

The man smiled again and nodded. "I shall go tell him he has a visitor. You two may wait in the lounge."

I thanked him and he led us into the large entryway. A grand staircase curved towards a second floor, where you could see another staircase to the left leading to an even higher level. We continued following the man to a room next to the entryway with two couches and a large coffee table.

"Please, have a seat. My name is Charles, if you need anything, I'll be glad to be of your assistance."

"Thank you, very much, Charles." I told him, smiling gratefully.

Annie spoke up. "Can I have juice?"

I felt my face reddening, but Charles only smiled. "But of course, mademoiselle. What kind would you like?"

"Apple." She replied simply and grinned.

"Annie." I told her sharply.

"Oh! Thank you, sir." She said, suddenly remembering her manners. I smiled at her and nodded.

"It is my pleasure." Said Charles before exiting the room. I could her him faintly in the other room. "Master Jack, you have visitors waiting in the lounge."

I could hear the surprise in his voice. "I do?"

Charles must have only nodded, because I didn't hear anything else.

Moments later, Jack walked in the room. I don't know why, but I was almost startled by his sudden appearance.

He looked shocked to see me. "Kim? What are you doing here?" He asked me, not rudely, but definitely curious.

"I, uh, I needed to talk to you." I told him, suddenly having no clue what to say. 'Hi, can we live here?'. I don't think so.

"Okay…how did you get here?"

"We took the bus."

He nodded. "My address?"

"Was on the monitor by the gate."

He nodded in understanding. "Should've figured that one out."

"Yeah, you really should've. Way to go, Sherlock."

He feigned hurt. "I'll have you know, I am an excellent detective."

I just look at him. "Uh-huh. Sure."

He rolled his eyes. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Um, well, you see…" I flicked my eyes between him and Anne and understanding quickly dawned on his face.

"Charles!" He called.

The butler, or I assumed he was the butler, walked in. "Yes?"

"Can you take Annie to the kitchen for some cookies?" He asked him.

Charles nodded. "Right this way, mademoiselle."

Annie giggled and followed him down the hall way.

Jack walked over to that couch and sat down, gesturing for me to do the same. I sat down and he looked at me expectantly.

"Well…my stepfather saw you when you dropped me off, and my mother…died a long time ago. He's never really liked me and, seeing you, assumed that we were dating." I chose my words carefully to come up with a believable story. "That pushed him over the edge and he kicked me out. I don't have anymore living relatives, and Grace was out of town, as you might remember, so I was wondering if my sister and I could stay here. Just for a few weeks, until Grace gets back." I asked him.

He looked concerned. "Of course I don't care. My parents are at the coast for a charity banquet. They'll be back in the morning. I'll ask if you can stay longer then, but you and Annie are more that welcome to stay the night."

I sighed relieved. "Thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how thankful I am right now." I said. Without thinking, I hugged him tightly. He recovered quickly and hugged me back. I came to my senses and realized what I was doing. I stiffened a bit and let go. "Sorry about that. I'm just grateful."

He smirked at me. "Not a problem. You hungry? Charles made cookies."

I grinned at him and nodded. He walked me down the same hallway Charles and Anne had disappeared down a few minutes ago. We emerged into a huge, gourmet style kitchen and saw Annie sitting at the bar with a cookie and a glass of apple juice. I sat down next to her, and Jack sat on my other side. Before I could say anything, Charles handed me a plate with two warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of juice.

"I hope apple is fine. Your sister said you liked it." Charles said to me.

"Apple is fantastic, thank you."

"Do you hear that, Jack? Manners." Said Charles.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I have manners." He said defiantly.

Charles scoffed. "Then you've been hiding them."

I laughed at his comment and Jack glared at me playfully. "Hey Kim: ever heard of 'be nice to the host'?"

I pretended to look thoughtful. "Hmm…I heard it depends on whether or not your 'host' is an eighteen year old goofball."

He looked insulted. Charles just laughed and gave me a high five.

"Five minutes, and you're already ganging up on me."

"Nooo… I would never!" I said, smiling."

"Yeah right."

"Fine. I beg for your apologies Grand Master Jack." I played, acting to beg for forgiveness."

He looked thoughtful. "Fine." He finally said. "You are forgiven. Oh, and Charles, Kim and Annie are staying the night, maybe longer if it's okay with mom and dad."

The butler raised an eyebrow at Jack, but nodded.

"Kim, Anne, allow me to show you to your room." Jack said dramatically, in a rather questionable British accent.

"We shall follow the leader." I say, gesturing for him to lead the way.

We follow him up the staircase I saw when we first walked in and down a hallway lined with doors.

"That room's mine." Said Jack pointing to a door covered in karate stickers and a sign reading 'Jack Room: Knock…or else.'. We keep walking down the hall way for a little bit and come to a stop by a plain white door. "And this," said Jack with a flourish, "is yours." We walk in to a large room with a dresser, two full sized beds, a flat screen TV, and two nightstands. I could see a bathroom through another door in the room.

"Make yourself at home and get a good night's sleep. I shall see you both in the morning."

I look over at an alarm clock and see that its nearly nine.

"Okay, goodnight." I tell him, smiling.

"Night." He says with a grin, and closes the door.

I look over and see that Anne has already settled into her bed.

"Night, Annie. Sweet dreams. I love you."

"Nighty-night, Kwimmy. I love you too." She said, sleep already lacing through her voice. I turn off the lamp, lay down, and smile. It may not be perfect, we may not be able to stay. But for now, we had a, very nice, roof over our head. And with that thought, I drifted to sleep.


End file.
